Sexism isn’t just social injustice; it may be harmful to men’s mental health

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Sexism is not only a social injustice against homosexuality and women. It may also have negative effects on mental health of some men.

You have seen it countless times in rhetorics of politicians and their supporters during the recently concluded Presidential Elections in America. Perhaps in other countries as well.

Sexism. Oh, this word is quite as controversial as climate change. Does it exist in our society? Of course the answer is a resounding yes.

Women agree, including I, that some people can’t avoid this feeling, whether they choose to show or speak about it, or not.

Science, surprisingly, has something to say about sexism, particularly on how it could affect men’s mental health.

Apparently, people at the receiving end of sexism could experience psychological problems. But as it turns out, men who are sexists could also have psychological problems–than men who are more accepting of gender equality.

Published by the American Psychological Association, the paper suggests that those who see themselves as playboys or as having power over the opposite sex, are more likely to have psychological issues.

Joel Wong, PhD, the lead author of the research, explained that in general, men who uphold masculine norms “tended to have poorer mental health.” They are also showing less favorable attitudes toward seeking psychological help.

Wong, an Associate Professor in the Counseling/Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology programs at Indiana University Bloomington, clarified that their results differed depending on specific types of masculine norms.

The team conducted a meta-analysis of seventy-eight research samples with nearly twenty thousand participants that focused on the link between mental health and conformity to eleven norms that are considered by experts to reflect the society’s expectations of traditional masculinity.

They are in no particular order the following: violence, dominance, playboy or sexual promiscuity, risk-taking, need for emotional control, the desire to win, primacy of work, self-reliance, disdain for homosexuality, pursuit of the status, and of course, power over women.

The group focused specifically on three types of mental health outcomes. First is positive mental health which covers satisfaction in life. Second is negative mental health which covers depression. And third is seeking psychological help or seeking counseling services.

Wong said most of the studies based in the United States focused on white males, some on African-Americans or Asian-Americans.

While overall, conforming to the so-called norms in masculinity was associated with negative mental health outcomes in participants, the team has found that there is consistent association for these three norms: playboy behavior, self-reliance, and power over women.

Wong explained that the robust association between conformity to playboy and power over women, and negative mental health effects, has underscored the idea that sexism isn’t just a social injustice, but may also have a detrimental effect on the mental health of men who abide by such attitudes.

The most unhealthy aspect of sexism is the sexism and racism now faced by white ciss gendered males….., and this can be multiplied if one is a Christian ciss gendered white male. Once the loving breadwinners and head of households we have been relegated by feminism to the trash heap for crimes we had nothing personally to do with. We are blamed for slavery (which only occur’s now in Arab and African countries, but was abolished 150yrs ago in western countries) We are blamed for a wage gap which may or may not exist (If female labor was cheaper the multinationals would fill their companies with females to save money) We are blamed for every evil under the sun, Yet it is the modern feminazi (Completely different from equality minded people) who has the largest per capita amount of mental illness, family destruction,domestic violence rates, and unhappiness in life by far. If it is fat, mean, alone, hateful, unkempt and smells of cat piss odds are it is an aging feminist.

The APA abandoned credibility a long time ago when it stopped acknowledging the innately disordered nature of homosexuality.Everything they say about homosexuality is designed to promote it,and calling sexism injustice against it (when justice MUST BE against it) rather than simply against a disfavored sex is just a case in point.

What about girls/women who are sexist towards men? Sexism goes both ways and leads to abusive behaviors. What about misandry? I believe that is the elephant in the room and it is not discussed enough or at least equally with respect to these types of commentary. If it is going to be discussed, then why not address the issue as a whole and not treat it as something specific to one gender. I see many things on television, and articles… that potray men, fathers even, in a very sexist and/or misandristic way, and lets be honest, if the roles were reversed many viewers (men and women) would be up in arms to defend women… but who stands up for the men? Wrong is wrong regardless the gender… so lets speak to the issue of sexism itself and/or abuse. In many cases social attitudes even suggest that its okay for women to be sexist/abusive but not men (i.e. Hope Solo, Janay Palmer, “Mother Dearest”… etc.), when the standard should be that — abuse is wrong. This is why men are demonized when they abuse little children but women are simply frowned upon (or seen as the victim/mentally unstable) when they physically and sexually abuse little boys. This is why although statistically women physically abuse men and are more likely to emotionally/physically abuse their own children… or even act out violence by proxy… people still rather associate these behaviors with “sexist men”. Yes, men are often physically stronger so more damage is often done when they are the abusers or defending themselves, but abuse is abuse. And this happens more often than you would believe. This double standard has to stop. Lets stop picking sides and deal with the -issues- irrespective of gender. Any -parent- trying to raise young boys in this type of socially biased climate would agree…

This is crap science. This “study” is nothing but a feminist hate monologue. Let’s have a study that shows that women who exhibit hostility toward men suffer from greater mental health issues. We could easily document this by citing their lifelong umbilical connection to their “therapist/paid best friend”. Then we could conclude that feminism leads to mental instability, something men have known for decades now.

While most men agree with the concept of women’s equal rights and equal pay for equal work very few men can stand to listen to man-hating idiocy like this article. It is very easy to ask people a set of a carefully posed questions to get whatever answer you want. Mentally unstable people often adopt stereotypical traits that help them integrate in communities. If you look for people with cliched attitudes like extreme male chauvinism or radical feminism you will also find mentally unstable people in higher percentages.

The authors conclusions are not compelling. She weaves a cliched narrative scientifically vague feminist ideas that serve to support her sexist attacks on men.

Judging by the picture she is pretty young. Maybe write it off to a person whose enthusiasm excedes their competence.

I am so bothered by articles like this. And studies like this. Since when did “masculinity” come to be a negative trait? It has become the new orthodoxy that “feminine=good, masculine=bad” I wish this were an oversimplification, but that has become the rhetoric. As sympathetic as I am to the fact that men have socially “subjugated” women for a loooong time in world culture overall, I find that resorting to politely worded hate, discrimination, and belittling of what amount to the characteristics that are associated with men, and men themselves, is just letting the pendulum swing, too far, the other way. Is that really the world we want to live in? How about valuing people for who they are, whether that be transgender, gay, lesbian, feminist, or ‘bro’. These all have their pros and cons. Does it make any sense to glorify one identity, and demonize the rest? Isnt that the root of inequality, the root of injustice?

Sexism …. let’s see a different perspective: I am an Orthodox Christian, much of what I believe to be true (such as God taking flesh to break the middle partition that separated the divine nature from fallen human nature – making deification possible. Such as homosexual contact is offensive to the Holy Spirit, and deprives a soul of God’s uncreated energies, and for this reason is forbidden – such as woman not being ordained to administer sacraments – such as forbidding the consummation of homosexual marriages, and many more – beliefs that have matured after thousands of years of refinement, and which have been proven by experience to create a spiritual environment that makes it possible to become god-like while in the flesh) are absolutely at odds with the current social (and more and more – legal) milieu that encourages behavior that is in opposition to the canons of the Orthodox Church. The canonical teachings of the Orthodox Church can indeed be seen as illegal, and punishable by current civil and criminal statutes, not to mention those that are “in the works” by activist judges. Does this mean, as a militant atheist told me this week, that either the Orthodox Church has to change, or be banned as discriminatory, and those who adhere to its teachings are indeed punishable under current civil and criminal statutes. Basically rendering Orthodoxy “Illegal”.
But now the dilemma: If one changes the fundamental tenants of Orthodoxy, one ceases to be Orthodox. Orthodoxy is based on the premise that truth is immutable, and therefore it adheres to revealed Dogmatic, Moral, and Pastoral theological established truths as immutable. To change them basically renders Orthodoxy Heterodox.
By this simple logic modern secular society is making the same judgments against Orthodox Christians that have been rendered against them for millennia in various political systems (Pagan, Islamic, Communist et al.), for this reason many Orthodox will indeed go underground, as they did for decades in the Soviet Union (which the west is looking more and more like every day). We will watch history repeat itself, but will nevertheless remain true to revealed truth, truth that the secular minds mocks as “irrelevant” when formulating laws to accomplish their militant social engineering exploits.
“In your patience posses ye your souls” Orthodoxy will abide unto eternity, irrespective of the current political and social whims.